Red Umbrella
by sellthelie
Summary: Hiro doesn't take Elle to the beach. Elle & Peter. ONESHOT.


**Title:** Red Umbrella  
**Rating:** PG  
**Summary:** Hiro doesn't take Elle to the beach.  
**Pairing/Characters:** Elle/Peter  
**A/N:** _1650 words._ My little what if, we'll just pretend that Nathan dropped Peter home after their vacation in Haiti. I took the title from a Faith Hill song, the chorus specifically, I was stumped.

Using the Where? prompt for **fanfic100**.

**Red Umbrella**

"He's lying; don't let him get inside your head."

"You know exactly who he is because you helped create him, and you can't undo that, not ever." Gabriel glanced back at her briefly, before turning his attention back to Bennet. "You really think you two can have a normal life? He killed your father Elle."

Elle steadied her breath as he raised his hand. _Yes_, he had killed her father, and maybe it was one of those things that you can't undo, or get past. Elle was willing to try though, maybe you had to go through a little anguish to get your happy ending, and she wanted one of them.

A sudden appearance pulled her from her reverie, jolting her attention to the man who now stood beside Gabriel. He spoke a few words that Elle couldn't understand, and they were gone.

Elle tightened her grip on Sandra, increasing the ball of electricity in her hand; she stared down at Bennet on the floor, "What the hell..."

The next thing she saw was lights, and it was raining. She turned around quickly, she was on a sidewalk, and from the look of it she wasn't in Costa Verde anymore.

"Isn't this fantastic," she said to herself, rolling down the sleeves of his shirt.

Elle took a few steps down the path, and looking around a corner. Ahead of her was more of the same, but she turned the other direction, and she could see New York. That _person _had taken her clear across the country, but why? Where in the world was Gabriel?

Taking a few steps back to where she had started, Elle looked around. It seemed to be nothing but apartments, some with lights on, several with sounds of life coming from them. There_had _to be a reason for him to bring her here. He'd come there with a purpose, to get Gabriel and herself out of there, and there had to be some reason as to why he'd dumped her here, in New York City. Elle didn't know anyone in New York, she knew someone who had lived there, but they would be too much of a coincidence.

But if Elle had learnt anything lately, there were no coincidences. Moving up the steps of the building closest to her, she read the names of its residents.

It was there, the only person it could have been.

Pressing the buzzer harshly, Elle knew he had to be there. That's why she was here. That little Asian man wanted her here, she too close to him for to just be chance.

"Come on," she said loudly, prodding it several more times.

A burst of static came through the speaker, and a voice came out surrounded by it, "Yes?"

"Peter? Is that you?" Elle said quickly.

"Who is it?"

"It's Elle, Bishop. Elle Bishop."

"What are you doing here? Is he there?"

The rain started to fall down more quickly, chilling her, and setting her alight in a single moment. "Please Peter, can we talk inside? This is hardly the best weather for this conversation."

"Are you with him?"

"Gabriel? No, I was, but some little Asian man grabbed me, and dropped me on your doorstep. Will you let me in?"

The static faded away, and a minute passed by. Elle was about to press the button again, when a figure stepped around a corner inside the building, and approached her slowly. As he got closer she took in the gun in his hand.

She gave him a weak smile as he opened the door, "If I was him, do you really think we'd buzz ahead?"

"I'm not taking a chance, come in," he said shortly, pulling her in by her hand, and jumping as a spark hit his flesh.

"Sorry, the rain isn't the best for me."

"What are you doing here Elle?"

Following him across the tiled floor, she struggled to keep up with him. "It wasn't planned, that little Asian..."

"Hiro Nakamura."

"Alright, Hiro Nakamura grabbed me in California, after he took Gabriel, and the next thing I know I'm on the sidewalk in front of your apartment."

Peter stopped at the staircase, "Why did he bring you here?"

"I don't know, he wasn't the most talkative guy. I've never seen him before."

"He teleports, where's Gabriel?"

Shrugging her shoulders, "I don't know, obviously he took him somewhere differently."

"You don't know a lot."

"Well this has been a really long - and strange day," Elle muttered as she followed him up the steps, wincing as the bullet wound started to stretch.

As he walked down the hallway ahead of her, she realised that he didn't have any remains of his fall from the Pinehurst window. But he did have a fresh wound on his neck, and a bruise forming just below his sleeve. "It seems like you had a similar one."

"You could say that," Peter said, letting her into his apartment.

Elle moved into the small space, moving around the table trailing her fingertips over the backs of the chairs.

"What happened to your leg?"

"I got shot."

"Who shot you?"

"Bennet. Seems he didn't take to kindly to our trying to take his precious Claire-bear, who'd have thought it?"

"You tried to take Claire?" His fists clenched, and Elle smiled at him.

"Following your Daddy's orders Peter, like a good little girl."

"He has Claire?"

"Nope, that Hiro Nakamura arrived, and moved me across the country. Claire is safe at home with Daddy dearest, at least till your father mounts another attempt to get her."

"He's not going to stop."

"Maybe when Gabriel catches up with him he might."

Peter looked at her closely, "Why?"

"Bennett told him that your parents are not his, I imagine wherever he is - he won't be taking the lies too well."

"Jesus," Peter whispered, grabbing the phone off its cradle.

"You can't possibly want to warn them." Elle shook her head, watching him punch in a number. "They brought this upon themselves."

He brought the phone to his ear, "I want to warn my mother." Peter walked into the small room beside his kitchen, talking quietly to someone on the other end of the phone. "I don't care what she's doing, get her on the phone."

Moving across the room, Elle opened his fridge, taking a bottle of water from it. She couldn't remember the last time she ate, or drank anything. It had been the longest day she could recall. Travelling across the country to Costa Verde, both altercations with Glasses, and the ensuing cat and mouse game. All leading up to her arrival outside in front of Peter's building.

From the look on Peter's face when he re-entered the kitchen, it was far from over.

"What are you doing here Elle?"

She gave him small smile, and held up the water bottle. "I'm having a drink, how's your mum? Did you tell her I said hi?"

"It's not the time to be cute Elle," he said sharply.

"Good to know I'm still cute."

Peter sighed deeply, but a tiny smile graced his lips before he looked down at her leg. "We should clean that up."

"Its fine, Gabriel took care of it."

Opening up the cupboard beneath the sink, "I'm sure he did a fine job, but I was a nurse, I know how to do this."

"Fine," she pulled out a chair, sitting down, and lifting her foot onto the chair next to it.

Peter moved a chair over next to her, starting to undo the bandage that Gabriel had wrapped around it hours earlier. Elle wasn't surprised to see the singed gauze over the wound, but he looked up at her quickly before pulling it away.

"I thought you said you got shot."

"I did. 1000 volts of electricity has to go out somewhere Peter, every time I stepped with that leg it rocked through my veins, and it had an exit point."

"Jesus," he shook his head. "It's burned deep Elle, it's not _fine_. It's going to scar."

"I'm no stranger to scars - it'll just be another one to add to the collection." Peter bit his lip, his jaw set as he started to clean it. The solution stung as he pressed it against the burnt edge of the bullet hole. Elle could feel the familiar rush through her veins, she tightened her grip on the edge of her chair. She had to distract herself, before she fried Peter. "What were you doing today?"

"I had to do something for my mother."

"How did you end up with the mark on your neck? And the bruises, I don't think you went out to get her some milk."

"I went to Haiti, with my brother."

"What were you doing?" Her voice broke as he spread some antiseptic over her broken skin.

"We went to get the Haitian, there were _complications_," he said bitterly.

"There always is, why did you need to get him? Gabriel is hardly a threat anymore, is there someone else?"

"Your new boss."

"I doubt I'm employed anymore, we failed our assignment twice. I'm not sure if I'm disappointed or not."

"He's not a good guy Elle - he never was the good guy. The things he's done will curl your toes, he organised an attempt on his own son's life. You shouldn't trust a word he says."

"I don't trust anyone anymore."

"You trusted Gabriel."

"I had no one Peter, I trusted the only person who helped me."

"Hold this," he said to her pressing some gauze against her leg, and grabbing a bandage from his first aid bag. "Trust me Elle; you're better off without either of them in your life."

"Without him, I have no one."

"You can have me."

* * *

An abrupt-ish ending, but I can't figure it out. I went away from it for a while, and still nothing.


End file.
